{{Pkg|skype}} is available in <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[AUR User Guidelines#.5Bcommunity.5D|community]]] for i686 systems and <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Arch64 FAQ#Multilib Repository - Multilib_Project|multilib]]] for x86_64 systems [https://www.archlinux.org/news/508/] or as [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=18312 bin32-skype-oss] for the OSS sound system in the AUR. Enable the appropriate repository in {{ic|/etc/pacman.conf}} and then use [[pacman]] to install Skype,

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[[pacman|Install]] {{Pkg|skype}} from the [[official repositories]]. If you have a 64-bit system, enable the [[multilib]] repository first as Skype is 32-bit only. For [[Open Sound System|OSS]]-users, {{pkg|skype-oss}} is available.

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# pacman -S skype

Running Skype is just as easy. Type {{Ic|skype}} into a terminal or double-click the Skype icon on your desktop or in your DE's application menu.

Running Skype is just as easy. Type {{Ic|skype}} into a terminal or double-click the Skype icon on your desktop or in your DE's application menu.

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file append /dev/snd/pcm\*

file append /dev/snd/pcm\*

file chmod /home/\*/.Skype/ 0700

file chmod /home/\*/.Skype/ 0700

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file create /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\* 0600

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file create /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\* 0600-0666

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file create /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\* 0666

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file create /tmp/qtsingleapp-\*-lockfile 0600-0666

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file create /tmp/qtsingleapp-\*-lockfile 0666

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file create @SKYPE_FILES 0600-0666

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file create @SKYPE_FILES 0666

file execute /usr/bin/firefox

file execute /usr/bin/firefox

file execute /usr/bin/gnome-open

file execute /usr/bin/gnome-open

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file link /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\* /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\*

file link /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\* /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\*

file mkdir /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\* 0600

file mkdir /home/\*/.cache/fontconfig/\* 0600

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file mkdir @SKYPE_DIRS 0777

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file mkdir @SKYPE_DIRS 0700-0777

file mksock /tmp/qtsingleapp-\* 0755

file mksock /tmp/qtsingleapp-\* 0755

file read /dev/urandom

file read /dev/urandom

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===Use Skype with special user===

===Use Skype with special user===

Instead of using AppArmor or TOMOYO which require the installation of extra packages, one may prefer to add a special user. This user is only used for running Skype within one's normal environment. This approach restricts Skype to reading only the data of this particular user instead of one's main user. (The new user should not be used for any other thing. Skype only.)

Instead of using AppArmor or TOMOYO which require the installation of extra packages, one may prefer to add a special user. This user is only used for running Skype within one's normal environment. This approach restricts Skype to reading only the data of this particular user instead of one's main user. (The new user should not be used for any other thing. Skype only.)

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An AUR package, [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/skype-restricted/ skype-restricted] exists that will run skype as a separate user ("_skype") cleanly. It's heavily based on the information in this section.

Optionally, we first add a default group for the skype user. I will call the new user and its default group "skype". The security advantage in keeping the "skype" user in its separate group is that it can be restricted from accessing some places other users are allowed in.

Optionally, we first add a default group for the skype user. I will call the new user and its default group "skype". The security advantage in keeping the "skype" user in its separate group is that it can be restricted from accessing some places other users are allowed in.

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And use this alias to launch skype:

And use this alias to launch skype:

alias skype='xhost +local: && sudo -u skype /usr/bin/skype'

alias skype='xhost +local: && sudo -u skype /usr/bin/skype'

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{{Note|If you forget the {{ic|xhost}} command, Skype may fail with a "No protocol specified" error on stdout.}}

I noticed that the newly created user is able to read some of the files in my home directory because the permissions were a+r, so I changed them manually to a-r u+r and changed umask from 022 to 066.

I noticed that the newly created user is able to read some of the files in my home directory because the permissions were a+r, so I changed them manually to a-r u+r and changed umask from 022 to 066.

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# chmod o-rwx /media/data

# chmod o-rwx /media/data

This way, it is ensured that only the owner (normally "root") and "users" can access the specified directory tree while the others, including "skype", will be forbidden.

This way, it is ensured that only the owner (normally "root") and "users" can access the specified directory tree while the others, including "skype", will be forbidden.

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==== Open URLs in your user's browser ====

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When one clicks URL in chat window, skype execute [[xdg-open]] to handle it. By default {{ic|xdg-open}} uses default web browser for skype user environment. In order to open links in your user's browser perform next setup.

By default {{ic|skype}} stores received files with 600 permissions (only owner can access them). One may use [https://www.archlinux.org/packages/?sort=&q=incron incron] to perform automatic permission fix upon downloading.

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{{Note|This example assumes that you configure skype to save received files into {{ic|/home/skype/downloads}}}}

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Make skype home dir and download dir accessible:

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# chmod 755 /home/skype /home/skype/downloads

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Install incron with the {{Pkg|incron}} package from the [[official repositories]], and enable and start {{ic|incrond}} [[systemd#Using units|using systemd]].

With option C you can do that too, but option B is way easier to set up.

With option C you can do that too, but option B is way easier to set up.

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An OSS compatible version is available from [http://www.mediafire.com/?2ydhmj4yo3i here]. Then download the PKGBUILD for x86-64 users form [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=18312 here.] Correct the md5sum in the PKGBUILD, and also install {{Pkg|lib32-libxinerama}} (for x86-64 users). Finally, run

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You can install the legacy {{Pkg|skype-oss}} from Comunity repo.

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If you need 64x-86x support then download an OSS compatible version from [http://www.mediafire.com/?2ydhmj4yo3i here] and the PKGBUILD form [https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=18312 here.] Also install {{Pkg|lib32-libxinerama}}. Finally, run

$ makepkg -s

$ makepkg -s

to create the pacman installable package.

to create the pacman installable package.

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====C. Using OSS emulation with oss2jack====

====C. Using OSS emulation with oss2jack====

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{{AUR|oss2jack}} is another way to have OSS emulation without using ALSA directly. Instead, oss2jack creates a OSS device that forwards everything to JACK (JACK Audio Connection Kit), which in turn mixes, then outputs to the standard ALSA device.

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{{AUR|oss2jack}} is another way to have OSS emulation without using ALSA directly. Instead, oss2jack creates a OSS device that forwards everything to JACK (JACK Audio Connection Kit), which in turn mixes, then outputs to the standard ALSA device.

==Skype plugin for Pidgin==

==Skype plugin for Pidgin==

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$ XLIB_SKIP_ARGB_VISUALS=1 skype

$ XLIB_SKIP_ARGB_VISUALS=1 skype

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===Skype does not use my GTK theme, even though other QT apps do===

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===Skype does not use my GTK theme, even though other Qt apps do===

Recent versions of Skype allow you to change the theme via the Options menu. However, selecting the GTK+ option may not work properly. This is probably because you do not have a 32-bit theme engine installed. Try to find the engine your theme uses in the multilib repository or the [[AUR]]. If you have no idea which engine your theme is using, the easiest fix is to install {{AUR|lib32-gtk-engines}}. This does however contain quite a lot of packages, so the best would be to find and install only the needed package.

Recent versions of Skype allow you to change the theme via the Options menu. However, selecting the GTK+ option may not work properly. This is probably because you do not have a 32-bit theme engine installed. Try to find the engine your theme uses in the multilib repository or the [[AUR]]. If you have no idea which engine your theme is using, the easiest fix is to install {{AUR|lib32-gtk-engines}}. This does however contain quite a lot of packages, so the best would be to find and install only the needed package.

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Some users with newer kernels are experiencing a monster-like growling distortion of their sound stream on the other end of Skype. This can be fixed by creating a dummy ALSA device or by removing {{ic|~/.Skype/shared.xml}}. See https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=819500#p819500 for more information.

Some users with newer kernels are experiencing a monster-like growling distortion of their sound stream on the other end of Skype. This can be fixed by creating a dummy ALSA device or by removing {{ic|~/.Skype/shared.xml}}. See https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=819500#p819500 for more information.

AppArmor

The userland tools for AppArmor come with a collection of example profiles. Skype is amongst them. Copy this to the directory where AppArmor profiles are stored.

# cp -ip /etc/apparmor/profiles/extras/usr.bin.skype /etc/apparmor.d/

For whatever reason, the profile is not complete. You may wish to modify it further. Here is an example, and here is another one for Skype4. (If the Mozilla denials annoy you, feel free to uncomment the appropriate lines.)

To use the profile, first be sure securityfs is mounted,

# mount -t securityfs securityfs /sys/kernel/security

Load the profile by the command,

# apparmor_parser -r /etc/apparmor.d/usr.bin.skype

Now you can run Skype restricted but as your own user. Denials are logged in messages.log.

TOMOYO

Follow the instructions here to install TOMOYO. Please note that this section describes using TOMOYO 2.5.

During Skype audit it was discovered that Skype reads DMI information and Mozilla profile. To give Skype minimal access to your system using TOMOYO, please follow these steps.

Please note that this config is generated on 64-bit Arch system, and some of your ioctls and library paths may differ from mentioned above. So in order to fine-tune TOMOYO config for your Skype load tomoyo-auditd daemon:

# systemctl start tomoyo-auditd

Then go to /var/log/tomoyo folder and start watching reject_003.log:

tail -f reject_003.log

The output of this command will show you rejected actions for Skype, so you'll be able to add them to domain_policy.conf file if needed.

Use Skype with special user

Instead of using AppArmor or TOMOYO which require the installation of extra packages, one may prefer to add a special user. This user is only used for running Skype within one's normal environment. This approach restricts Skype to reading only the data of this particular user instead of one's main user. (The new user should not be used for any other thing. Skype only.)

An AUR package, skype-restricted exists that will run skype as a separate user ("_skype") cleanly. It's heavily based on the information in this section.

Optionally, we first add a default group for the skype user. I will call the new user and its default group "skype". The security advantage in keeping the "skype" user in its separate group is that it can be restricted from accessing some places other users are allowed in.

# groupadd skype

Then we have to add the new user:

# useradd

Enter the details for the new user (assumed login name: "skype"). If you created the default "skype" group and want to keep "skype" outside the "users" group, enter "skype" when the wizard asks for the initial group. As additional groups we need "audio,video,pulse-access,pulse-rt".

Now add the following line to /home/skype/.bashrc:

export DISPLAY=":0.0"

At last we define the alias (e.g. in ~/.bashrc):

alias skype='xhost +local: && su skype -c skype'

Now we can start Skype as the newly created user simply by running skype from the command line and entering the password of the user skype.

If you are tired of typing in the skype user's password every time, make sure you installed the sudo package, run visudo then add this line at the bottom:

%wheel ALL=(skype) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/skype

And use this alias to launch skype:

alias skype='xhost +local: && sudo -u skype /usr/bin/skype'

Note: If you forget the xhost command, Skype may fail with a "No protocol specified" error on stdout.

I noticed that the newly created user is able to read some of the files in my home directory because the permissions were a+r, so I changed them manually to a-r u+r and changed umask from 022 to 066.

In order to restrict user "skype" accessing your external drive mounted in /media/data for instance, make sure first that "skype" does not belong to group "users" (if you used the default group "skype", everything should be fine), then change the accesses on the mount point:

# chown :users /media/data
# chmod o-rwx /media/data

This way, it is ensured that only the owner (normally "root") and "users" can access the specified directory tree while the others, including "skype", will be forbidden.

Open URLs in your user's browser

When one clicks URL in chat window, skype execute xdg-open to handle it. By default xdg-open uses default web browser for skype user environment. In order to open links in your user's browser perform next setup.

Skype ALSA Sound (2.0+)

Sound should work out of the box, if not you can select a sound device to use in Skype options. If you have problems with Skype blocking your sound device, you only need to add the following to your ~/.asoundrc

pcm.dmixout {
# Just pass this on to the system dmix
type plug
slave {
pcm "dmix"
}
}

then you can start Skype as normal, go to the audio options and select dmixout as your speaker- and ringingdevice.

Skype-OSS Sound (Pre-2.0)

If you have a recent version of Skype, this will not work and is not needed, look at the "important notes" on start of this page.
Option B is preferred over other options.
With option B you can use Skype AND let other programs play sound too.
With option C you can do that too, but option B is way easier to set up.

Sometimes it takes a while for Skype to start up but once it is loaded it should work ok!

C. Using OSS emulation with oss2jack

oss2jackAUR is another way to have OSS emulation without using ALSA directly. Instead, oss2jack creates a OSS device that forwards everything to JACK (JACK Audio Connection Kit), which in turn mixes, then outputs to the standard ALSA device.

I can receive multiple audio streams, but I can only send one

Skype can send and receive audio and I still hear other sounds playing from other applications, but I cannot record my microphone with other applications. That is because Skype or aoss blocks the audio input for itself.

No video with GSPCA webcams

For i686, install v4l-utils, userspace tools and conversion library for Video 4 Linux, and run Skype with

LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype

to start Skype with v4l1 compatibility.

For x86_64, install lib32-v4l-utils from [multilib] repository and run Skype with

LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib32/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype

To make it running from DE menus and independent of Skype updates, you can add alias (e.g. in ~/.bashrc):

alias skype='LD_PRELOAD=/usr/libxx/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype'

where `libxx' should be edited as appropriate.

No video with Compiz

Try this

$ XLIB_SKIP_ARGB_VISUALS=1 skype

Skype does not use my GTK theme, even though other Qt apps do

Recent versions of Skype allow you to change the theme via the Options menu. However, selecting the GTK+ option may not work properly. This is probably because you do not have a 32-bit theme engine installed. Try to find the engine your theme uses in the multilib repository or the AUR. If you have no idea which engine your theme is using, the easiest fix is to install lib32-gtk-enginesAUR. This does however contain quite a lot of packages, so the best would be to find and install only the needed package.

Note: You may not have to install lib32-gtk-engines. First try if the following steps work for you if you only install lib32-gtk2 and a gtk2 theme respectively. See also the forums.

Once installed, it will still not work unless you have a 32-bit version of GConf installed. You could build and install lib32-gconfAUR if desired, but there is an easier workaround. First, create or edit ~/.gtkrc-2.0 so that it contains the following line:

$ gtk-theme-name = "My Theme"

Replace My Theme by the name of your theme, but leave the quotes. Second, run Skype like this:

$ export GTK2_RC_FILES="/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc:$HOME/.gtkrc-2.0"
$ skype

The GTK+ theme should now appear correctly. You can make this permanent either by running Skype from a script containing the above 2 lines, or by exporting GTK2_RC_FILES in ~/.xprofile or ~/.xinitrc, depending on how you start X.

If you cannot change the theme in the Options menu, run Skype using the following command:

$ /usr/bin/skype --disable-cleanlooks -style GTK

If you wish menus within desktop environments to load Skype with a GTK theme by default then modify the 'Exec' line of /usr/share/applications/skype.desktop so that it reads:

$ Exec=/usr/bin/skype --disable-cleanlooks -style GTK

Similarly if you have set Skype to autostart then modify ~/.config/autostart/skype.desktop in the same way.

If your output is similar, your microphone is working just fine, and the issue is either hardware related (broken microphone) or your volume needs to be checked. If you do not have an output similar to the one above or, more specifically, if both Front Left and Front Right are 0% or show an [off] tag at the end, then your microphone settings need to be rectified.

In either case, try to run:

$ alsamixer

and press F5 to show all channels. Using the arrow keys navigate all the way to the end and increase Capture. If you do not see a left and right channel for Capture, press the space bar. Doing this turns the left and right channels on. Check that Input Source is set to the correct value (e.g. [Front Mic]): navigate through the values with up and down arrow keys. If your microphone is an array built into your monitor, or you have a similar setup, make sure to increase the volume for the Digital column too. If you have multiple microphones, you may have to play around with the Mic Jack channel to get your desired setting.

Low sound in Skype, but works everywhere else

If you are sure your microphone is configured correct in ALSA (try recording with a 3rd-party-utility to determent whether it is an ALSA, or Skype problem), it is most likely because Skype is controlling your volume levels. Simply disable this feature in the voice settings page in the Skype configuration window.

This may also help if your microphone input is automatically lowered until 0.

Monster/low-octave "growling" distortion over mic

Some users with newer kernels are experiencing a monster-like growling distortion of their sound stream on the other end of Skype. This can be fixed by creating a dummy ALSA device or by removing ~/.Skype/shared.xml. See https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=819500#p819500 for more information.